Introducción

The camera would beep loudly and display an "E18" error code on the LCD when you tried to power it on. This code means the lens is stuck and won't extend/retract - this is a common problem with many Canon PowerShot cameras. I assumed some dirt or grit got inside and jammed up the lens.

Attempts to unjam the lens via external methods failed, so with nothing to lose I decided to take the camera apart and attempt to fix it.

The following photos show how to dismantle the S500.

(FYI the PowerShot S500 is a 5 megapixel camera introduced in Feb 2004)

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Note: there are 2 flex circuit paths connecting the circuit board to the chassis - they are soldered and can't be detached without re-soldering. Be careful not to bend the flex circuit too severely or it may break. I had to resolder one of the connections after I was done.

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Lift up the CF card slot - in the 2nd photo you'll see a ribbon cable going through the slot to the front of the camera. We earlier disconnected this ribbon cable from its socket on the front of the main PCB.

Simply pull the ribbon cable out, but be sure to note the slot it goes through for later reassembly.

The 3rd photo shows the rear of the camera with the CF card slot removed.

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Back on the top of the camera, gently pull the white connector with red/black wires out of the socket.

Now gently pull up the flex circuit and the socket away from the camera top

The 2nd photo shows the flex circuit and socket from the last step lifted away from the camera. This will now allow us to separate the plastic chassis of the camera from the lens module assembly in following steps...

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**WARNING** there are very high voltage circuits involved in driving the flash. The capacitor (big black cylindrical item under the small circuit board) holds a large charge and could cause an electric shock - handle with care. Fortunately all the circuits here seem well insulated and there are no exposed high voltage contacts.

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Remove the first of three screws fastening the optical viewfinder to the rest of the lens module...

... then remove the second screw (2nd photo).

The optical viewfinder can be separated from the lens module - however it's still joined by a flat flex ciruit - be careful not to damage this flex circuit; just leave the viewfinder dangling to the side.

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The geartrain for the lens retraction motor is inside this corner of the lens module.

(Note in this photo, the optical viewfinder is still attached to the right)

In the 2nd photo, viewed from another angle there's a hint of the lens retraction geartrain - the small white gear visible through a hole in the back. The lens retraction motor is highlighted with the yellow rectangle in the 2nd photo.

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By gently pulling apart the front and back halves of the lens module assembly, we expose a black gear and white gear connecting the larger brass gear to the motor

Using tweezers it's possible to remove the black gear without fully opening the lens module halves - just open wide enough like shown here to gain access.

Note: the flex circuits around the lens module are soldered and cannot be removed. Therefore you need to gently carefully move them aside when pulling apart the lens module.

On the right side of the photo, there's a small plastic piece with flex circuit attached. This piece is held by one of the screws and the front/back halves of the lens module. When reassembling it's a bit fiddly to get back in the right place if you're not paying attention.

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Wait!... not so fast. After reassembling the camera, I found a huge piece of dust on the sensor in all the new images I took. Dust must have entered the lens module during disassembly. I had to take the camera apart completely again! This time, to open up and clean the lens module. :-(

So here is the lens module again, with the 2 halves pulled slightly apart to clean the sensor and/or inner lens elements. It was easier to disassemble the camera the 2nd time :-)

This is, by far, the epitome of tutorials! Your images...perfect! Spelling...perfect! Content...perfect! I do a lot of writing and reading online and your work here is one of the best! Like you, I had nothing to lose tearing apart my Canon since it wouldn't open. I wanted something, anything, to guide me. I found your tutorial and wow! I followed your steps and it worked out. I'm going out now to take pictures with my Canon! Thank You!!